The Godfather actor has opened up about struggling with the attention he received in the wake of the blockbuster's release in 1972.

"I was having difficulty with all the attention," he explained. "I was a drinker, for sure, my career was exploding in the Seventies and, I’m sorry, but I don’t remember much of the Seventies.

"Now when I come to think about it, I don’t remember much of the Eighties either," he continued.

Al Pacino in The Godfather (Image: Paramount Pictures)

The 75-year-old Scent of a Woman star says he hasn't had a drink in 30 years and credits his drama teacher Charlie Laughton, who he called "the most influential" person in his life, for changing his ways.

He told The Sun: "He was the one who said to me, ‘Al, I’m not asking you to stop or do anything, but to be aware that you are actually drinking and taking stuff’.

"That awareness started and a year or so later, I decided to give this stuff up. It saved my life."

Al also insisted he has no regrets about his career after he passed on offers to star in the lead roles in Die Hard and Star Wars.